Diagnostic System and Method for Testing Integrity of Stack During Ultrasonic Welding

• Main Authors: SIMON WILLIAM P, MARKUS JAMES A, MASSA JOHN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.11.2015
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL; GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MACHINE TOOLS; MEASURING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICALVIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method for testing the integrity of a stack during ultrasonic welding, includes the steps of: (i) ultrasonically welding two or more work pieces with a stack, the stack including a convertor and a horn; (ii) measuring a frequency profile based on a vibration of the horn during the welding step; and (iii) comparing the measured frequency profile to a standard frequency profile to obtain an error rate, the error rate being indicative of a difference between the measured frequency profile and the standard frequency profile. A system employing the aforementioned method is also provided.